Beauly’s Oliver Stewart says four top-10 finishes from his last six races has given him the confidence to challenge at the F4 British Championship.
Stewart enjoyed his best weekend of the season so far, when he recorded three rookie podium finishes in the second event of the campaign at Brands Hatch in Kent between May 14-15.
It followed an impressive overall return of eighth, ninth and fifth in the three races during the course of that weekend.
Having gone into the event 12th in the overall standings following his debut at Donnington Park in April, Stewart reflects on Brands Hatch as being an encouraging experience.
Stewart, who was signed up by Hitech GP earlier this year, said: “I had a good start in the first race at Brands Hatch. Two drivers stalled in front of me and I managed to safely get around, and then made my way up to P8 and P2 of the rookies, so I was happy with that. It was great to be back on the rookie podium.
“For race two I got another decent start and had a few good overtakes around the outside into turn one. I got into the top 10 again and had my second podium appearance of the day. It was amazing to get the fastest lap on just my second race weekend. It’s quite a big confidence boost to know I’ve got the pace.
“To get fifth place on the road in race three was the best result I’ve had so far this season. It’s just such a shame we had the post-race penalty for a false start, but apart from that I couldn’t wish for a better race. There were a few ifs and buts, but overall, I was happy with my race performances.”
Promising end to difficult weekend at Thruxton
Stewart was once again in action last weekend at the high-speed Thruxton circuit in Hampshire.
It proved a difficult start for the 15-year-old, who opened with 13th and 14th placed finishes following a troublesome qualification.
Stewart’s weekend ended more promisingly as he clinched ninth spot in his third race.
Although he dropped to 13th in the season standings, Stewart’s strong finish gives him cause for optimism.
The Charleston Academy pupil is keen to learn lessons from the weekend, ahead of his next event at Oulton Park on June 10-12.
Stewart added: “Qualifying was a disaster for me. We tried a different set-up and, unfortunately, it didn’t work as it required a lot of experience with the rear of the car moving a lot. I only had two practice sessions at Thruxton, not even two full days, so it was difficult going straight into qualifying.
“Race one went pretty well. I managed to do a few good moves and make up some places at the start.
“I tried a really late lunge on Joel Pearson from miles back into the right hander of the last corner.
“At that point I managed to make the move stick and then I locked up, so unfortunately it didn’t pay off. I attempted to make up a few more positions, but unfortunately, the time ran out and in the dirty air I couldn’t quite get close enough.
“In race two I had a great start, we made up quite a lot of positions and we had decent pace. It was difficult getting stuck in dirty air, but I managed to pull off some good moves.
“Unfortunately, I went for a move around the last corner before I caught a rumble strip, and it just was enough to give me a little spin. That cost us the position we were in, which would have been a top 10 finish. That was annoying, but it was good to learn the ins and outs of the track.
“Race three was quite difficult. We had all our worst tyres on for that one, because we weren’t expecting much. A bit of carnage on the first couple of laps allowed me to get up a few positions and we worked hard throughout the race. We kept pushing and managed to get up to P9 with some overtakes and a few spins from other drivers.”